Checking travel companies, contracts and refunds before you book
Before you book
Licensed tour guides: cards, checks and rules
In Vietnam a tour guide needs a card issued by the state, and the card can be checked online in a minute. Knowing which card fits your tour, and what the guide should carry, tells you a lot about the company behind it.
Contents
Three types of card
Sources: Law on Tourism 2017, Article 58 — types of tour guide card; Law on Tourism 2017, Article 59 — conditions for guide cards; Law on Tourism 2017, Article 62 — renewal of guide cards; Law on Tourism 2017, Article 65 — rights and duties of guides · last checked .
Who can hold a card
The conditions for a domestic card start with Vietnamese nationality and permanent residence in Vietnam, full civil capacity, no infectious disease and no drug use. The applicant needs an intermediate qualification or higher in tour guiding, or a qualification in another field plus a domestic guiding certificate.
An international card adds a college qualification or higher in tour guiding, or another qualification plus an international guiding certificate, and fluency in the foreign language the guide registers. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism sets the language standard.
In December 2025 the national tourism authority published directives telling universities to stop running tour guide and tour operator certification exams, alongside guidance on issuing guide cards during the administrative restructuring. If a guide tells you a card is being renewed, ask for the card number and check it.
Sources: Law on Tourism 2017, Article 59 — conditions for guide cards; VNAT register — businesses in breach and notices · last checked .
How to check a guide card online
- 01
Open the guide database
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism runs an online database of tour guides at huongdanvien.vn.
- 02
Enter what you have
Search by card number, or by full name with the issuing province, card type and language.
- 03
Read the result
Each record shows a photo, name, card number, expiry date, issuing place, card type and, for international cards, the language.
- 04
Compare
The photo should match the person, the card should be in date, and the type and language should fit your tour.
When we checked, the database listed 49,089 guides. Some records note that the data was checked against the national population database. The register is a public tool; you do not need an account to search it.
Sources: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — tour guide database; VNAT tour guide database — guide search · last checked .
What the guide should have on the day
- The card, worn visibly. Not wearing it draws a warning or a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 dong.
- For international and domestic guides, a document from the travel company assigning them to your group, and the programme they are following.
- A card type that fits: an on-site card is valid only inside its site, so a guide leading you between towns needs an international or domestic card.
- For your group of foreign visitors, an international card with your language.
Asking to see the card is normal. A guide employed by a licensed company expects it, and the company is legally responsible for the guide's activities while guiding you under the contract.
Sources: Law on Tourism 2017, Article 65 — rights and duties of guides; Decree 45/2019/ND-CP on administrative penalties in tourism (full text); Law on Tourism 2017, Article 37 — duties of travel businesses · last checked .
Guides without cards
Decree 45/2019/ND-CP sets the penalties. A person who guides tourists without a card faces a fine of 15 to 20 million dong. A travel business that uses someone without a card faces 50 to 60 million dong and possible suspension of its licence for 6 to 12 months; the same applies to fake cards. Using a guide who has no labour contract with a travel business, or is not a member of the required professional association, costs a business 10 to 15 million dong.
Enforcement is real but uneven. In October 2025 the national tourism authority inspected travel businesses in Hue, where local officials said they would crack down on unlicensed guides and low-quality cheap tours. The UK Foreign Office separately reports illegal guides offering activities that local rules prohibit.
Sources: Decree 45/2019/ND-CP on administrative penalties in tourism (full text); Bao Van Hoa — Decree 45/2019 and the use of unlicensed guides; Bao Van Hoa — VNAT inspection of travel businesses in Hue, October 2025; UK Foreign Office — Vietnam safety and security · last checked .
Guides in neighbouring countries
- Thailand. The UK Foreign Office advises using a reliable, licensed tour guide for elephant treks, after serious injuries and deaths.
- Cambodia. The same advice says Cambodia has no licensing system for tour guides, and suggests asking your hotel and checking reviews before hiring one; for jungle treks, use a reputable guide.
- Laos. For adventure activities it advises reputable, properly insured operators and insisting on training.
More detail is on the Thailand page and the Cambodia and Laos page.
Sources: UK Foreign Office — Thailand safety and security; UK Foreign Office — Cambodia safety and security; UK Foreign Office — Laos safety and security · last checked .
Common questions
Questions readers ask
Can I check a guide's card before the tour?
Yes. Ask the company for the guide's name and card number and search the national guide database. The record shows the photo, card type, language and expiry date.
Can a foreigner work as a licensed guide in Vietnam?
The conditions for a guide card begin with Vietnamese nationality and permanent residence, so foreign tour leaders usually travel alongside a licensed local guide.
Is an on-site guide enough for a day tour between two towns?
No. An on-site card is valid only inside its tourist area or site. A guide leading you between places needs an international or domestic card.
What should I do if my guide has no card?
Ask the company in writing why, and keep the answer. If the company is licensed, the provincial tourism department is the place to report it.
Related
Read next
Before you book
Agents and operators
Licensed operators, travel agents and overseas platforms compared, and what each means for your contract.
Before you book
Check a licence
Step-by-step check of a travel company on the official VNAT register, with licence number formats and limits.
Choosing a tour
Private or group
Private tours and set-departure groups compared fairly, with the questions that reveal what you are buying.
When something goes wrong
Complaints
The order of complaint channels in Vietnam, what each one handles, and what to put in your complaint.
Money
Insurance
The operator's legal insurance duty, what your own policy should cover, common exclusions and how claims work.
Neighbouring countries
Cambodia and Laos
UK travel advice on tour operators, guides, boats and scams in Cambodia and Laos, with practical checks.
Start planning
Send a correction or a question
Tell us which page and which line, what you found instead, and when. A link to an official source helps us check it. Tourist Agent does not sell tours, does not take bookings and does not pass your details to any travel company.